Say Ah

Keeping the Mouth Open

A huge difficulty you might be facing when trying to brush your client’s teeth is that he or she has a difficult time keeping their mouths open long enough for you to brush appropriately. Luckily, there are products that you can buy or make yourselves that will help keep your clients mouth open safely.

Products that you can buy are usually made of rubber and allow a safe surface for the client to bite while allowing you to brush their teeth. These are some examples of such products. These might be difficult to find in local convenience stores so you might have to look for them in medical supply stores.

A simpler option would be to make a device to keep your client’s mouth open by yourself. They are very easy and inexpensive to make and can easily solve your problems.

There are several options:

Use a rubber door stopper and wash it using a dishwasher

Tape together 3-4 popsicle sticks

Roll a moistened cloth

All of these options give your client something safe to bite on while you are now able to access his or her teeth to brush.